Produce stolen from Tupelo garden

TUPELO – An educational garden planted by the city in downtown’s Creative Commons was emptied of its fruits and vegetables during a mid-week raid.
City Environmentalist Sherrie Cochran, who headed the garden effort, said she doesn’t know who took the produce or why. But she said she was disheartened upon discovering the loss Wednesday.
“I was very disappointed,” she said. “A lot of hard work went into it, volunteers and gardeners and children watering it and tending it and checking for bugs.”
Whoever plucked the produce left almost nothing behind. Gone were the watermelons, cantaloupes, peas, peppers squash and tomatoes. Only the bruised and damaged items, or those that hadn’t yet sprouted, remained.
Had the garden not been raided, Cochran said, all the food was destined for The Salvation Army’s food pantry. It was going to be picked and delivered this week.
Cochran said she just hopes whoever took the produce was truly hungry. In the future, though, she said, just ask.
“If you need it, ask and you can have it,” she said. “Don’t just clean us out.”